Shark Plate Chaos — DMV Told People Their Plates Would Be Mailed, Then They Said to Pick Them Up
Sunday, October 01, 2023
The new shark plates are hitting the road -- and while some people will get theirs mailed, others have to go to the DMV. PHOTO: ASI
This weekend, some Rhode Islanders who ordered the new specialty “shark” license plates were told they had to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in Cranston to pick them up.
The DMV said that people who ordered the plates before September 3 “should pick them up this weekend” and if unable to, will have to go to the DMV after October 10 to retrieve them.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTGoLocal obtained a plate order confirmation made in August, however, that said the plates would be mailed.
So who has to take the time to pick them up, who gets them mailed to them, and why?
DMV's Conflicting Messages
Last Monday, the Atlantic Shark Institute (ASI) announced this weekend's DMV pick-up event.
“People who ordered by Sept. 3 should pick them up this weekend, if they can. If they cannot come to the DMV this weekend on their designated pickup day, they can came to the DMV in Cranston after Oct. 10 to pick up the plates. No reservation needed,” said DMV spokesperson Paul Grimaldi. “Plates ordered after Sept. 4 will be mailed to vehicle owners.”
“The distribution events are held to help the organizations promote themselves. The people supporting these organizations usually enjoy the camaraderie,” added Grimaldi. “The events, typically, are held at a location of the organization’s choosing. The Institute doesn’t have a headquarters, per se, or a location where it can host the number of people who ordered its charity plate. Logistically, it made sense to have it at the DMV headquarters building in Cranston.”
A license plate order from August however shows that the DMV told the purchaser of the $45 plates that the “new plates and registration stickers will be sent to the mailing address on file with the DMV; this may take up to 6-8 weeks.”
Shark Institute: Distribution Event Required
Jon Dodd with the ASI said the organization is “required” to have a pickup event — for some people.
“When the state offers a new charity plate the charity must get 600 plates ordered and paid for, per plate type, before the state will make them. That is for each plate type (passenger, combination…). Once they hit 600 the charity must have a distribution event where all the buyers of the plate go to pick them up,” said Dodd. “In our case, this event is going to be 10 times larger than the norm as it often takes charities years to reach the 600 plate threshold. We hit over 7,000, we keep climbing, and it is by far the fasting growing charity place the state has ever produced.”
“After a certain date, all the plates (of a specific type) for that charity are mailed from that point forward. So, there is only one distribution event per plate type, per charity. For this weekend we are distributing passenger and combination plates to everyone who bought them up until September 3rd, 2023. Anyone who purchases a ASI passenger or combination plate from September 4th onward will get it mailed, forever,” said Dodd.
“For those who can’t make the weekend they can go to the RI DMV and pick up their passenger or combination plate, without an appointment," he added. “However, the state needs time to reorganize all the plates so the date folks can go pick them up kicks off on October 11th. The plates will be held at the DMV in Cranston.”
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